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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. swing — to play on
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — in music
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for golf
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bank — of a river
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fork — in a road
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. swing — in golf
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bank — for money
  18. club — for dancing
  19. net — in sport
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bank — for money
  24. swing — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com